Marcy Vigoda keynote speech at GIZ LandHub

And the scale of invisibility is staggering: while 42 percent of the world’s land is under customary tenure, yet only 8 percent of it is legally recognised. [That means billions of hectares held by Indigenous Peoples and local communities simply do not exist in the eyes of the state — until someone more powerful wants it.”]

Land is about power - between men and women, the private sector and communities, Indigenous Peoples and mainstream societies, between the global North and the global South - the list goes on - [between those who move capital across borders and those who farm small plots to feed their families and communities].

And our research shows that land inequality - a physical representation of power - is not only worse than we thought - but it’s also on the rise. The largest 1% of farms in the world operate more than 70% of the world’s farmland, forming the backbone of the corporate food system. As corporate investments in land grow, ownership and control are becoming more concentrated and increasingly opaque.

As Mike Albertus reminds us in his new book entitled “land power: who has it, who doesn’t and how that determines the fate of societies” … “How societies use their land and who owns that land determines how people live, who flourishes, who falters, and who has a say in what happens next.”

And when we look at it this way, one of the clearest injustices comes to light: a woman’s right to access and control land.

Unfortunately, legal rights don’t always translate into real rights for women when it comes to land. While 164 countries legally recognise a women’s right to inherit land, only 52 guarantee these rights in practice.

So: Out of every 3 countries, only 1 actually ensures women can inherit land, even though almost all say they do.

And yet - there are glimmers of hope.

Let’s go to the village of Log-dikit in rural Cameroon. When Justine Epse Bel lost her husband, she also lost her land. Customary laws and traditions overruled the national laws that should have protected her. In the eyes of her community, she was no longer the rightful owner of the land she had lived on and farmed for years.

In her own words “you are no longer a living being - you no longer have the right to anything”.

And Justine is not alone - millions of women across the world face the same injustices.

Here is where our members bring solutions. Through the National Land Coalition in Cameroon - women like Justine are finding their voices and claiming their rights. They are working with traditional leaders, local authorities and communities to change not only laws on paper but practices on the ground. By creating spaces for dialogue, they are challenging harmful customary practices and showing that democratic processes must evolve to include women’s voices.

Sustainable change (in any sector) is built through dialogue and consultation - bringing in traditional leaders and chiefs early in the process. As one Chief put it, "We must continue to train for a change in mindset”.

Work like this is slow, and it is not easy. Amidst the global roll back on women’s rights, the challenges have only grown. But thanks to the effort of ILC members and the National Land Coalition, Cameroon is taking steps to implement a land policy that protects women’s inheritance rights.

This kind of shift - rooted in community and enabled by law, is exactly what ILC and national land coalitions strive to support. Our members' efforts echo the recommendations coming from GIZ’s Global Programme Responsible Land Policy (GPRLP) and similar initiatives — that inclusive, multi-stakeholder land governance with strong civil society engagement is the only path to lasting change. A multifaceted approach that includes community-driven norm change and enforcement mechanisms to support progressive laws, means that implementation doesn’t get stuck between policy and practice.

Of course, I cannot possibly share all of our members’ success stories in one speech. I invite you to follow us on Instagram and our website for that! But let me highlight another area of ILC’s work: defending Indigenous Peoples rights and protecting land and environmental defenders.

ILC co-leads ALLIED (the global alliance for land, indigenous and environmental defenders). We document the violence that happens before it turns deadly. Last year, ALLIED recorded 1,115 non-lethal attacks against Indigenous, and land environmental defenders across 52 countries, adding to the 142 killings in the same year. For every killing documented, nearly 8 non-lethal attacks took place. This is a stark reminder that lethal violence is often only the tip of the iceberg.

Across these 52 countries, defenders speaking out against industrial agriculture, oil and gas accounted for nearly half (47.1%) of attacks, while those related to mining accounted for another 20%. And this may or may not surprise you, but since 2015, only five UN member states have acknowledged any killings or attacks on defenders in their SDG reporting on SDG 16 [at the annual High-Level Political Forum].

At the same time, ILC, through LANDex and other tools, is helping citizens to fill this critical gap, collecting grounded, disaggregated data for accountability.

KENYA is a terrific example. In 2024, Kenya used citizen-generated data provided by ALLIED to report on violations against Indigenous Peoples, land and environmental defenders. The government openly acknowledged that official data systems have gaps, and that they must rely on civil society organisations as allies to provide a full picture of what’s happening on the ground.

As we have heard this week,we are now seeing, across Africa, a new wave of fit-for-purpose land administration systems – locally adapted, increasingly digital, and bringing land services closer, and accountable to, citizens. And growing government requests for support on land reform.

And this is what our work is about. Supporting governments to craft better laws as well as accompanying the struggles in places where rights are contested, voices are silenced and where data is invisible. [It is in these frontline spaces - with local coalitions pushing for accountability - that we seek to close the gap between what is promised and what is lived.]

So the solutions are there, but how do we scale up, and – as we discussed yesterday, how do we broaden the conversation? For example, how do we seize the upcoming global opportunities of the UN conventions on climate, biodiversity and desertification, to make sure land is centred in the conversations that will shape our collective future? In summits on food security and ending hunger and poverty.

We have seen progress. There is greater recognition of the role Indigenous Peoples and local communities play as stewards of nature - protecting most of our remaining biodiversity – roles which they can only truly fulfill when their rights are secure. (2) When countries integrate tenure security into their NDCs and restoration plans — as Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Togo have done, partly thanks to National Land Coalitions pushing for this inclusion — they make climate targets not only more just, but more achievable.

Another example of progress – the UN Convention of Biodiversity (CBD) has a new ‘headline’ indicator, one the coalition worked to have adopted, on the land rights of IPs and local communities. It is a huge win because it makes land visible, and it was achieved through collaboration and collective advocacy (including with you in this room). ILC is about to launch a guide to the Rio conventions for land advocates - watch this space.

Of course, there are always naysayers. Those who say land is “too political”, “too complicated”, that it’s “too dangerous” to take on the power structures that fuel land inequality. That at a time of huge cuts in development assistance and skepticism of its value, this isn’t the time.

But actually the contrary is true – we must double down, because the risk if we fail is too high. If we fail on land, then we fail on climate, on food security, on biodiversity and on peace. We fail our cultural heritages. Degraded soils will not feed our children. Lost rangelands will accelerate desertification. Excluded communities will deepen intergenerational cycles of inequality, conflict and displacement.

The price of inaction will be paid by all of us.

So let’s build on the momentum we have seen and heard, and let us remember that power can and does and has shifted.

When people come together with a shared vision and persist; when practitioners share what works, when diplomats carry strong messages into negotiations and citizens raise their voices - change happens.

This is where our hope lies - not in denying how entrenched power relations are, but in amplifying the solutions that already exist and calling for more. Solutions held by you – by incredible people and courageous communities, by committed practitioners and the global Coalitions that stand behind them.

Let me take you to one last place: the rangelands of Mongolia, which I had the privilege to visit just two months ago.

Pastoralists nurture sustainable food systems in some of the harshest ecosystems on earth. In Mongolia, pastoralism is part of national identity, and a way of life adapted over centuries to an unpredictable environment.

Through rotational grazing, pastoralists give rangelands time to recover. Their mobility improves soil fertility, restores micro-biodiversity, and even enhances carbon sequestration - simply through natural manuring. The science is now showing how pastoralism is a critical solution for food security, climate and biodiversity.

Over the last decade, ILC members in Mongolia have come together to form a National Land Coalition - and have built a platform that now brings together more than 20 organisations - pastoralists, civil society, academics, and government actors. Working through this coalition, they have achieved remarkable success: influencing legislation and policy, and convincing their government not only to recognise the importance of pastoralism nationally, but to champion it globally.

In 2018, Mongolia called for an International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists - later adopted by the UN General Assembly for 2026. Proof that when grassroots organisations and governments stand side by side, one country’s commitment sparks a global movement. This IS locally led development.

Today, our members in Mongolia, through the National Land Coalition, are preparing to make the most of the international year - with their government as an ally. Together they are laying the groundwork to bring the voices of pastoralists to the global stage, ensuring not only that rangelands - which cover half of the earth’s surface - are recognised for the vital role they play in sustaining people and the planet but also that the world sees pastoralists as vital custodians of climate and biodiversity.

Mongolia reminds us that when communities are supported, when governments are responsive, and when coalitions hold the supporting line, power begins to shift. And that’s the bigger point: this is not only about pastoralists in Mongolia or defenders in Kenya. It’s about people and power everywhere.

As we move into the next part of today’s programme, I invite you to reflect and share: what does all of this mean for your work?

Whether you’re a government leader, practitioner, a policymaker, a researcher or a community advocate/organiser? - what can you do to connect agendas, align and advocate together not just for better land governance, but for a real shift in power that creates the basis for sustainable progress for all. What can we do together to overcome silos and structures that can make it hard to build bridges? How do we take our discussions – and the Declaration agreed yesterday – to other spaces - nationally, regionally, globally - where land matters but isn’t always discussed or at least not enough - I am talking about food systems and climate and biodiversity. It’s a win-win-win to tackle the climate crisis, gender inequality and land rights together. Everyone wants more alignment, everyone speaks of synergies, so this could not be a more timely moment to act!

Thank you.